Anthony Swarzak makes Cleveland Indians roster; Josh Tomlin sent down
March 29, 2015Forget the NBA playoffs; let’s realign the “target demographic”: While We’re Waiting…
March 30, 2015Philadelphia 76ers (18-56) 86
Cleveland Cavaliers (48-27) 87
On Saturday night, Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena hosted a nail-biter of a game for the ages when Kentucky survived Notre Dame 68-66 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It was one hell of a game, and though it may have been one of the more well-played games in the tournament, it was still characterized by a few of the things that make college basketball a less aesthetically pleasing game than its professional counterpart: underproficient offense, low scoring, and sluggish play. Quicken Loans Arena must have been unable to evacuate the building of the scent of college basketball, because the odor of the slower, less enjoyable game made Sunday afternoon’s Cleveland Cavaliers-Philiadelphia 76ers game a real stinker, so that viewers and spectators sure felt like they were watching an NCAA game (but without the excitement and enthusiasm).
Like the Kentucky Wildcats, the Cavaliers eventually escaped with a victory they probably didn’t deserve, but the 76ers blew every opportunity they had to take it. In a fourth quarter in which both teams appeared reluctant to score, somebody had to get the win, so it may as well have been the Cavs. With any luck, this game was a test for a team destined for great things, no different than Kentucky perhaps, but it was mostly one to be forgotten. It would have been a big setback to lose a second consecutive game after Friday’s bummer in Brooklyn.1 But let us peek behind the box score nonetheless, bracing ourselves for what horrors we may discover.
0 – The Cavs scored an astounding zero points in the last 4:04 of the game, and still managed to win. Were they up by a substantial margin that the 76ers were unable to overcome? No. Did both teams stop playing and begin wrestling at center court? No. Did the referees suspend the shot clock and allow the Cavs to dribble out the last four minutes and four seconds? No again. Seven seconds after Timofey Mozgov’s putback layup with 4:04 remaining, 76ers guard Robert Covington made an obnoxious, contested 25-foot jump shot, and that was the last of the scoring. The remainder of the game had 11 missed field goal attempts, four missed free throws, four personal fouls, and zero points. The last three-and-a-half minutes read like the play-by-play of a Washington Generals intrasquad scrimmage: MISS Smith 27′ 3PT Jump Shot; Irving Bad Pass Turnover; MISS James 8′ Fadeaway Jumper; 76ers Timeout: Short; MISS Covington Free Throw 2 of 2; MISS Noel 7′ Jump Shot; Thompson REBOUND. Game over, folks. Wasn’t that fun?
15-of-42 – LeBron James and Kyrie Irving combined to shoot 15-of-42 from the field, for an appalling 35.7 percent. This is unheard of for two hyper-efficient scorers of their caliber, who have career effective field goal percentages of 53.1 and 50.6, respectively. They both shot over forty percent in the first half, then faded down the stretch. James and Irving are both among the best fourth quarter players in the league, but made only three of their 16 field goal attempts in the money quarter. LeBron clanged sideways runners in the paint off the back of the rim that he normally makes, and Irving missed several of his trademark layups, some popping out of the hoop at the last possible moment. Although their 18 wins are a punchline, the 76ers defense isn’t, as their 99.8 defensive rating since the All-Star game is seventh in the league. But they didn’t contest every shot from James and Irving, and footage of the game doesn’t show that it was the 76ers defense that deserved all the credit for the Cavs stars’ struggles. Whether they were bored, tired, or simply having a bad day is unclear, but for them to both play so poorly is a rarity.
16 – A positive takeaway from the game was that the Cavs won their 16th straight game at home, a great sign. The Cavs’ last loss at home occurred on January 7, against the Houston Rockets. Since then, they’ve blown teams out at home by an average of 14.6 points per game; rendering most fourth quarters moot before they had a chance to begin. The restoration of the Cavs home court advantage accompanied their season turnaround, as they were a morbid 11-9 before the current 16-game streak. Being indomitable at home was the foundation of all the late, great 2000s Cavs teams, such as when they famously went 39-2 at home in 2008-09. The Cavs were underwhelming on Sunday, sure; but let’s not forget they’ve been unstoppable at home over the last two-plus months, and just returned home after a grueling stretch of 15 of 20 games on the road, during which they cemented their status as one of the best teams in the league. Even though the Cavs have been lethargic for two consecutive games, fans should expect a letdown after the return home following their recent gauntlet of a schedule. Let’s not forget the Cavs thrashed the Western Conference two-seed Memphis Grizzlies just last Wednesday.
7 – The Cavs have only seven games remaining, and we’re starting to enter that “rest ’em” or play ’em” start of the schedule, where coach David Blatt needs to weigh whether it’s in the team’s best interest to maximize health or level of play entering the playoffs. The Cavs had two key players exit the game and not return on Sunday. Iman Shumpert missed another dunk (we flubbed one on Wednesday), but also left the game following the failed dunk with an ankle injury. Kevin Love had a pass sail over his head late in the game, then immediately called timeout and exited the game, with his lower back injury flaring up again. Neither appears to be serious, but the Cavs want neither a hobbled Love nor a flat-tired Shumpert when the games matter.
Cavs lose Love, Shumpert to injuries, survive 87-86 win over Sixers:
CLEVELAND – LeBron James had 20 points … http://t.co/3smXybk959— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) March 29, 2015
How Blatt manages the situation these next two weeks could be crucial entering the playoffs. The Cavs don’t play another game until Thursday (!), a home revenge date with the Miami Heat. They only have two road games remaining. I think the Cavs need to be as healthy as possible entering the playoffs, but I think actively not trying for more than a week-and-a-half makes it harder to knock off the rust.
I think the Cavs should go full tilt in Thursday’s Heat game and in Sunday’s home affair against the Chicago Bulls, then rest up for the playoffs. Michael Jordan never played in five consecutive Finals, which is exactly what LeBron intends to do. After the two weeks he took off earlier in the season, LeBron came back rejuvenated and refreshed — a totally different player than the one taking the court in November or December. So, if James wants to spend the next 20 days sipping cocktails in Cabo San Lucas, I fully support it. The Cavs have shown what their capable of, now they need to rest up, watch film, figure how to fix what few flaws they have, and perfect the things they do well heading into the playoffs.
- In my first round preview, I wrote, “The Nets are a non-threat to the Cavaliers in the unlikely event that they play one another in the playoffs. The Cavs are 3-0 against the Nets so far this season, with their last contest of the season loitering in Brooklyn until Friday night — a game the Cavs will most certainly lose now that I’ve written this.” Whoops. [↩]
5 Comments
Yow, that was awful ball. Kyrie looked strangely hollow-eyed, and there wasn’t a smile from anyone all game, not even Shumpert. The Cavs couldn’t summon the effort to drive and draw a shooting foul in the 4th quarter. Not a single one. Against a bunch of nippy, overaggressive puppies like Philly.
Never saw LeBron do anything like freaky-deak the 4th quarter inbounds pass as he walked up court, not even bothering to look at the ball and letting it bounce off his foot and out of bounds with no one anywhere near him. He led the Chill Mode this game.
Never seen a pro game go scoreless for nearly 4 minutes, let alone to end the game. Just take the W and sprint away. Don’t even think about it again. Let’s get our revenge on Miami so they know they really shouldn’t want that 7 seed, then put the Bulls in their place in a week, then start worrying about health.
…on second thought, everybody hit the showers again. One wash isn’t enough to rid you of that stink.
A win is a win no matter the score. But perhaps another day at the bowling alley could help lift their spirits up before the playoffs?
Yuck. Hurry up, playoffs.
The end game for the Cavs was turble. Just turble. One guy pounds the ball for 21 seconds and then forces up an off-balance prayer.
The season’s too long, and this game was a great illustration of it. (And for the finalists, there are about two-and-a-half more months to go.) But that’s not going to change, so this is what we get. The Cavs did show lots of heart on D at the end.